The invention described herein relates to a system for routing telephone calls and more particularly to an advanced intelligent network system which provides for routing of telephone calls to a particular line when that line is otherwise occupied.
With the popularity of the Internet, more and more people are establishing connections from their personal computers to the Internet using an Internet Service Provider (ISP). Using a modem in the personal computer, a system user may dial up the ISP and establish a data connection over the public switched telephone network (PSTN). At this point the ISP may further connect the system user to the Internet. The system user may then browse the Internet using web browsers installed in the personal computer.
Many Internet users commonly establish a connection from the personal computer that is located in their homes. The household telephone line is used to establish a connection to the ISP. One drawback of this type of connection is that the telephone line is occupied such that incoming calls to the household may not be answered or otherwise detected. The calling parties to the occupied line may be presented with a busy signal or consecutive rings without an answer. The caller may further be directed to a voicemail account without providing any notification to the party being called.
It has been recognized that a system may be developed which provides notification of incoming calls to a subscriber of a service while the subscriber is online. It has been further recognized that messages notifying a subscriber of services of the incoming call may be transmitted from a location on the Internet to the subscriber""s computer, and through use of a display graphic, the subscriber may be provided with a choice of routing methods.
Described herein is a method and system for routing telephone calls through use of an advanced intelligent network (AIN) telephone system. Included in the system is a local switching point, which is part of the AIN telephone system, through which calls for a subscriber are received and then routed to identified destinations.
Also included in the AIN telephone system is a service control point (SCP) through which a connection may be established over the Internet in order to access various servers. A connection may also be established between the SCP and the line identification database (LIDB) which includes calling name information for the parties placing incoming calls to the subscriber.
The SCP may be adapted to establish a connection with a designated server on the Internet. The designated server may be configured to provide the SCP with subscriber status with regards to connections established to the Internet. In order to provide this status information, the subscriber may notify the server when a connection is first established over the Internet. This server may further include functionality for providing interactive display graphics to the subscriber""s computer through which a subscriber may then provide information as to the routing of detected incoming calls.
With regards to the routing of calls, a number of destinations may be provided. Destinations may include a voice messaging or a forwarded number. In one instance the AIN network may include an intelligent peripheral device through which an incoming call may be temporarily routed in order to have audio messages played. Further, connected to the local switching point in the AIN may be a network interface device which provides for the establishments of lines of communication over the Internet using Internet protocol(IP) telephony methods.
In operation, when a subscriber uses the home telephone line to log onto the Internet, a procedure may take place where the designated server is contacted and status information for the subscriber is updated. In the situations where a logon is occurring, the server receives information that the subscriber is currently online. When a particular session ends, notification may again be sent to the server providing an indication that the subscriber has terminated its Internet connection.
Once the subscriber is online, an incoming call for the subscriber may be detected at the switching point associated with the subscriber. Once the call is received, the switching point may send notification to the SCP. In response the SCP may then establish a connection over the Internet to the designated server to make an inquiry as to the current status of the subscriber. This status information is transmitted back to the SCP and analysis is performed to determine the next step.
If it is determined that the subscriber is not currently logged onto the Internet, the SCP may instruct the local switching point to route the call to the subscriber""s line as normal. This may include directing the call to the subscriber""s home phone. If the server returns a message indicating that the subscriber is currently online, the SCP may then perform a search of the LIDB to locate identification information for the incoming caller. This identification information is then transmitted over the Internet to the server. The server may then perform the necessary steps to notify the subscriber that an incoming call is waiting.
Once the notification is received of an incoming call, the server may generate notification information which may be used to populate a display to appear on the subscriber""s home computer. This display may be viewable using the web browsing software currently employed by the computer. Through the interactive graphical display, the subscriber may be provided certain options as to the disposition of the incoming call, which may included answering the call, directing the incoming call to voicemail, forwarding the call to another telephone number, or ignoring the call altogether.
In the situation where the subscriber wishes to answer the call, this selection is made through the interactive display graphic and notification of this selection is provided from the server to the SCP. This instruction may be further provided to the switch which then routes the incoming telephone call accordingly.
With regards to routing the incoming call to the subscriber, at least two options may be available. As a first option, the subscriber may choose to receive the incoming call at the local telephone. In this situation, the subscriber""s connection to the data network will be terminated and the call then routed to the home telephone. Alternatively, the subscriber may choose to receive the incoming telephone call at the subscriber""s computer through use of IP telephony software and hardware. In this situation, the switching point will route the call to the network interface which will then transmit the signal back to the subscriber""s home through the ISP. An audio conversation may then be carried on over the Internet.
If the subscriber selects to route the incoming call to voicemail, this selection may then be provided from the server to the SCP, which in turn provides these instructions to the switching point. At this point, the call is directed through the switching point to voicemail.
If the subscriber wishes to forward the incoming call to a particular number, this selection is made and the instructions may then be provided from the server to the SCP. In one aspect of the invention, the subscriber may enter through the screen display a forwarding number to which the call will be routed. Also, the forwarding number may be pre-programed in the system. Once the forwarding instructions are received, the SCP will provide the forwarding number to the switch and the incoming call will be routed to that location.
If the subscriber chooses the ignore function, the incoming call may then be routed to a destination such as the AIN IP in which an audio message will he played which may include the continuous ringing of a telephone or such messages as xe2x80x9cThe party you are calling is not taking calls at this timexe2x80x9d or
In another aspect of the invention, while the display graphic is being transmitted to the subscriber, the incoming call may be routed to a temporary location in which an audio message is played for the incoming caller. This audio message may be the continuous ringing of a telephone or a message informing the incoming caller that the subscriber is currently online and that notification is being provided to that party.